Returning home to You
by KT-ExReplica
Summary: Remind me why I came back? Why? Because I didn't think I could bear it without you in my life. I'll welcome you home and I'll love you. Only after I've pounded some sense into your egotistical big head first.


Wild, bloodthirsty smirk forms upon the pale lips as the slender silver weapon pierces the enemy, a wound that had been predicted yet unavoidable, as it already set itself down in fate. Dark obsidian eyes locked onto scarlet.

The weapon is pulled out with a sickening hiss as blood dripped from the life threatening wound, staining the crisp new snow.

A two inch cut just below the wide shocked obsidian eyes is made, the pupils dilate. The feral snarl of hunger and pleasure has vanished to be replaced by utmost fear and revulsion.

Sasuke stumbled back, Kusangani dragging along the ground trailing a glistening path of blood. Itachi lurched forwards with his right hand outstretched, blood coating his painted nails, the cut on the younger siblings' cheek stings against the cold.

Sasuke pays little attention to it and watches fearfully his older brother as he staggers towards him. Steel clashes on steel as a kunai and Kanata come together creating friction and sparks in the cold air.

"We're not finished yet little brother."

The sentence is a drawn out hiss only muffled by the bubble of blood that trickles out of Uchiha Itachi's mouth. Sasuke cringes as the near dead fingers stroke his cheek. Itachi chuckles, his lips a strange twisted smile, his blood red eyes spinning.

"S-stay away from me!"

Sasuke backs away his own Sharingan activating out of pure terror. He had to kill Itachi, he couldn't break now. Sobbing Sasuke stumbled back until his back pressed against solid rock and ice. Itachi grinned in his bizarre and chilling way.

A hand is pressed into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke out of instinct brings his own hand up and in a quick twisting motion the others' wrist is broken. Itachi merely lets his mangled hand fall limply to his side, the kunai stained with Uchiha blood. Clan blood. Brothers' blood. Family blood. His own blood. Is pressed against Sasuke's neck.

"Mine."

Sasuke shudders as the whisper jolts through him. He clenches his eyes shut as a tear slips free and freezes on the bleeding cut just below his eye. One last time. Still covered in blood of his brother and himself, the younger raises his kanata, an electric current running down its length.

"NO!"

The Chidori enhanced blade is plunged down into Uchiha Itachi's collarbone and down into his heart. Breathing heavily Sasuke wrenches his weapon free as the bones crack. Itachi slumps forwards his bloodied hand reaches towards his face, instead the two fingers- index and middle brush against his forehead. Flashback of childhood memories shoot to Sasuke's head.

Shocked he slides down with Itachi's body, blood dripping from the fingers, Itachi's blood trickles down into Sasuke's left eye. Letting out a shuddering breath Sasuke gives a small smile and everything went black.

Opening his eyes Sasuke looks around. He is freezing. He sits up and realises his left eye is in great pain. Rubbing his hand over the area he stood shakily, dried blood flaking off his sword and clothing. Sasuke nudged the cold body of Itachi. Hearing footsteps he whirls around.

A man. With the Sharingan.

Pain flares more angrily than before in his left eye and Sasuke collapses to the hard frozen ground. Images and dreams filter through his head as Sasuke writhed on the floor trying to dispel them.

"Sit up Sasuke."

Sasuke gasping for breath his chest heaving painfully he stares up at the stranger with fearful red eyes. The Mangekyo Sharingan blood red in his left eye… Sasuke crumpled again.

On waking Sasuke bolts upright in alarm. His eyes still red with the Sharingan.

"Calm down. Or you will open that chest wound again."

For some unknown reason Sasuke feels at ease with this stranger and does so. His erratic breathing slows down to a calm rhythm. His eyes fade from red to black.

"Who are you? And why am I here?"

A smile quirks on the strangers' lips. Sasuke sends a weak glare.

"I am Uchiha Madara and you are here because I brought you and Itachi's corpse so I could tell you the truth.'

"Truth? What truth?"

Sasuke asks coughing painfully. He looks down to see his chest covered in bandages. Madara waits patiently.

"Why you are like this now and why it happened."

"Nothing happened! There is no truth!"

Sasuke spat bitterly casting a shadowed glance at his dead brother. Madara shifts his sitting position to a more comfortable one.

"Yes there is a reason for why everything happened Sasuke."

"Why?"

Madara chuckled and began his history lesson. Sasuke sat in silence. His thoughts became confused as the story progressed. In the end Sasuke stared at Madara.

"W-why? Itachi… But…"

Sasuke found he was at loss for words as he whipped his head around to stare at Itachi's dead form. Madara watched sagely. Sasuke staggered away from Madara.

"That couldn't have happened!"

Sasuke's eyes were a blood red again the Sharingan flared as hot tears spilled from his eyes and down his pale features. Clenching them shut Sasuke fell to his knees next to his brother's body and for the second time in his whole life Uchiha Sasuke wept tears of pain, loss and sorrow.

"So Sasuke. Do you feel hatred towards your home, your village now?"

Madara looked at Sasuke. Sasuke grit his teeth and shook his head. Madara's scarlet eyes narrowed viciously- Itachi had said he knew Sasuke would feel hatred towards Konoha- the thirst for revenge. Thank God the bastard was dead and was right about Sasuke killing him. Sasuke stared at him. Madara stared straight back.

"Thank you for the help you gave me."

Sasuke stood and pulled his tattered shirt on; he paused and then pulled Itachi's Akatsuki cloak gently off his brother and swung it around his shoulders.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Madara stood.

"Konoha."

Sasuke flicked his bangs out of his face and adjusted a broken wrist guard.

"What? Bringing destruction down upon them?"

Madara's fists clenched.

"No. I'm going home."

Sasuke looked back over to Madara who bit his lower lip in agitation.

"You do realise they won't accept you with open arms?"

Sasuke sighed and turned his back on Madara.

"Yes I do."

"Then why are you going back if they won't accept you?"

Sasuke sent an exasperated glance back at Madara.

"Old man. Konoha is my home. I left to defend it. After all they have to accept me back. It is Christmas time after all."

Sasuke meant the last bit as a joke, but Madara wasn't amused. He crossed his arms.

"Sasuke, Konoha isn't your home anymore. They will not accept you back."

Sasuke was really irritated now and he turned and drew his kanata so it rested under Madara's chin. He gave a small smirk.

"What? Trying to stop me? Old man?"

He taunted mockingly. Madara glared his Eternal Mangekyo spinning. Sasuke activated his own, but realised that when he tried to use it his eye bled. Madara smirked at him.

"Che, get out of it Old man. You can't stop me."

"How naïve."

Sasuke spat in annoyance and wiped the trickle of blood away and turned again, he distinctly heard a kunai being drawn anticipated the moment to strike. Sasuke didn't stop as he heard Madara follow him. Just as he felt the force of air being pushed Sasuke moved and plunged Kusangani straight through Uchiha Madara's chest.

Madara twisted and glared hatred at Sasuke who merely smiled serenely before running Chidori down the length, wrenching out the kanata in a twisting motion Sasuke pulled his weapon free of the Old Uchiha's chest.

"Hn. How weak of an Uchiha…"

Sasuke looked down at Madara's weak form. He touched his left eye and bowed politely to Madara's form.

"Ah. Gomenasai, Uchiha san. As you can see now I am the remaining Uchiha but. Screw Uchiha pride, I don't think I am worthy of the name Uchiha anymore do you? I am now ripped of the name. My name is Sasuke. Nothing else. The name of Uchiha has died."

Sasuke gave a small mocking smile as Madara coughed and glared before his eyes glazed over Sasuke kicked Madara over, before he sheathed Kusangani, picked up the frozen corpse of his brother and swept out of the cave.

It had started to snow heavily when Sasuke had stepped outside the cave. He shifted his burden on his back and continued his lone journey back to Konoha. His breath came out in small clouds as he trudged somewhat depressed through the thickening snow.

Sasuke sighed and pushed his half frozen bangs out of his face. He blew out a stream of warm air to warm is hands, using a minor Katon. He rubbed his shoulders and carried on.

Reaching a small indent of the cliff side he was currently walking on Sasuke paused and looked over. He gave a soft smile. The hidden village of sand was covered in snow; it looked rather like a wedding cake. Sasuke shook his head, he laughed to himself, was he going mad from the cold? Sasuke pulled out a broken necklace- it was a pretty blue gem on a simple black cord.

He sat down in the indent, sheltered somewhat from the steadily picking up wind. He dared not sleep at this crucial moment as he could freeze to death anytime. Sasuke licked his dry lips and waited for the storm to pass- it was only another 2 days journey to Konoha.

"Naruto!"

The said blonde looked up his orange scarf billowed out behind him and paid for lack of concentration, got a faceful of snow.

"Yeeessss?"

He called back, wiping snow from his front. Tsunade appeared around the door.

"Stop throwing snowballs at Sai and Kiba and help me stack these boxes."

Naruto grinned and ducked a snowball from Kiba. He waved to them promising he'd be back soon.

"Hey Lee, helping out too?"

The green lover nodded. Naruto grinned and jumped up and down on the spot.

"Oh Shikamaru is too?"

"Yeah and it's troublesome."

Naruto smiled, these were the friends he knew and loved, but one was missing. One that should be here around Christmas joining in the fun…

"Sasuke…"

Lee and Shikamaru looked at the blonde. Naruto shook his head and smiled at them. Not to worry he mouthed.

"OI! BRATS IF YOU DON'T STOP THROWING SNOWBALLS AT THIS WINDOW THIS VERY MINUTE I'LL GIVE YOU A SNOWBALL TO ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT!"

Tsunade bellowed out of her office window. Chuckling merrily the three set to work heaving the heavy documents out of the Hokage's office.

"S-so p-pretty."

Hinata mused as she touched the falling ice particles gently with her hands. Neji smiled as he watched his cousin. He ducked a piece of ice thrown his way. He glared over at Sai who smiled in an embarrassed way and pointed to Kiba who looked outraged that he had been betrayed.

Neji grinned and stood in front of Hinata and quickly lobbed a snowball Kiba's way, said teen was not fast enough and got hit in the chest.

Hinata giggled, Kiba flushed and then pounced on Neji as they tried ruffling each others hair and tugging on the latter's scarf.

Sai hid behind his snow fort with Hinata as Lee, Shikamaru and Naruto burst out laughing and yelling as they joined Neji and Kiba in their snow war. Well Shikamaru just took out a cigarette and hid with Sai and Hinata, who quite surprisingly was throwing a few snowballs out to the boys scuffling.

Naruto who had just been hit on the back by one of Hinata's snowballs turned and thought it was Shikamaru so he threw one at him, unfortunately Shikamaru ducked at the last minute and Sai stood, thus successfully hitting Sai instead.

Kiba fell back laughing with Neji straddling him. Neji smirked in triumph and got off brushing snow off his jacket. Sai looked exceptionally miffed and chucked a handful of snowballs at Naruto's head, Naruto managed to duck one but the rest hit him squarely on the back of the head.

"THAT'S CHEATING!!! SAI YOU ARE WASTING PRECIOUS AMMO!"

He yelled, Sai grinned. Lee was right there and began furiously to throw snowballs at Neji. Sakura and Ino just then happened to walk past and Ino got hit on the arms whilst Sakura got hit on the shoulder.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it! We're carrying delicate and fragile stuff!"

"Oh sorry Sakura chan. Ino."

Lee, Kiba and Naruto apologised meekly to the slightly amused girls. They laughed and carried on with their packages.

Sasuke sighed and blew again on his hands, he watched with no apparent interest at the now slowly falling flakes. He stood up and stretched out his stiff limbs, slinging Itachi's body on his back he took off with renewed vigour and speed.

He watched the branches in front of himself carefully as he chose the ones that weren't so dead and ones that would support his and Itachi's weight combined. Concentrating his chakra, channelling it to his feet Sasuke carried on, cold, tired and yet strangely somewhat amused.

Finding a small area with thick bushes, Sasuke dropped his brother unceremoniously and pulled the tattered cloak tighter around his body; he shook his head so his long bangs flew and settled, framing his elegant features. A rustle from the bushes made him look up, and three ANBU from Konoha were staring down at him.

Sasuke sighed, fire emitting from his mouth in a short puff, quickly extinguished by the cold, he smirked in his knowing way his Sharingan blazing eerily red and stood up.

In a few second the ANBU were knocked out cold. He settled back down. A snowstorm was whipping up again. Sasuke melted away all the snow in the sheltered area he was in and pulled the three ANBU into the covered area. He sighed in annoyance and picked up Itachi, and carried on, not caring if the snow was pelting him from all sides.

Naruto smiled as he received the neatly wrapped gift from Kakashi and he hugged his former sensei.

"Arigatou, Kakashi sensei."

He grinned and passed the bright orange wrapped gift to Sakura who squealed and hugged him and thanked him for remembering what she wanted. His mind flickered back to the time when they had gone to find Sasuke. Sasuke had taken his necklace away, Tsunades' necklace…

His hand traced his collarbone of where that very necklace would be. He shook himself and accepted the gift Kiba passed to him.

Naruto didn't pay much attention to the gentle chatter and clinking of exchanges as he stared out of Tsunade's office window he watched the dark sky and the beautiful frozen flakes that fell softly to the ground. He stretched and wondered where Sasuke could be in this cold time.

"Man I'm tired, we should be getting back now and Akamaru is bushed."

Kiba stretched and kissed Hinata on the cheek who giggled and blushed; he waved and left closing the door to Tsunade's office a little too hard.

Sasuke dragged Itachi's body through the gates of Konoha and was relieved that no one was about in this weather, and the heavy snowfall would cover his presence. He dropped his brother outside the Hokage tower underneath the small corkboard; he unsheathed Kusangani and quickly carved a message into the board explaining everything.

Sasuke then took off somewhat wearily to the Uchiha district where he changed back into normal clothing that would fit and that was not blood stained and torn. He pulled the Akatsuki cloak around himself again and looked at Naruto's broken necklace.

'I need to fix that before I give it to him…'

Sasuke sighed and set to work on his last reserves of chakra to mend the damned thing, before he bandaged up his worst wounds and re dressed them.

Naruto nodded and picked up his bag of gifts he had received from his friends and the rest of rookie 9. He waved to them and exited.

The cold hit Naruto like a punch to the chest, he coughed lightly and trotted off towards home, he stuck his tongue out and laughed mentally as the cold snow melted on it.

Opening the door to his apartment and collapsed on his bed. He rolled over onto his back and threw his scarf at the heating switch. It fell to the floor with a muffled thump. Sighing tiredly the blonde threw a blunt kunai he had forgotten to sharpen, at the switch and it turned on.

Naruto lay there as the heater slowly warmed up and began to eject warm air into his apartment. He lay there and wriggled his toes as he pushed off his boots. With no apparent interest Naruto inspected his socks before he changed into his orange pyjamas and fell asleep, not bothering to turn off the light.

Sasuke made his way over to Naruto's house and was surprised to see the lights still on.

'Why the hell are you still up dobe?' He mused in a half exasperated half amused way. Easing the door open he was greeted by warm air. Pulling off his sandals Sasuke strode quietly around the table and the mess of clothes and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed and regarded the hump under the messed up bedcovers.

Moving some of the blankets away he touched the blonde's flushed cheek lightly; he smiled as Naruto stirred in his sleep gazing up at the raven with sleepy eyes.

"Hey, Naruto."

Sasuke whispered so not to startle the smaller too much. He stroked the tanned cheek carefully as Naruto turned and looked at him properly.

"S-sasuke? I-i… You are Sasuke right? N-not an illusion?"

Sasuke chuckled, a deep pleasant sound that made the taller male suddenly all the more approachable. Naruto sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"No."

At this Naruto sprang up and launched himself at Sasuke, ripping off the tatty Akatsuki cloak flung his arms around the raven's neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Sasuke slid his arms around Naruto's waist, after a few moments of dominance with their tongues, Sasuke pulled away. His hands resting on the blonde's hips. He stared into the ocean blue eyes of the blonde fox he missed and loved so much. He hung the fixed necklace around Naruto's neck.

Naruto looked at the gem and then looked back at Sasuke; he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it and hugged the raven.

Sasuke gazed at Naruto- messed hair, orange pyjamas and all. Naruto was smiling up at him. Sasuke opened his mouth to say a simple phrase:

"Naruto. I'm home."

And kissed the blonde. Naruto's eyes drifted shut and felt a tear slide down his cheek. This was better than any gift he would be receiving this year. He let out a little whimper as Sasuke's tongue left his mouth. Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed with Naruto on his lap. He bent his head and licked away the tear from the whiskered cheek and whispered:

"Merry Christmas Dobe."

~Owari.


End file.
